Aggravation
by BunniesOfDoom
Summary: Levi catches the flu that's been going around, and he's less than thrilled. Sickfic.


Got a request for a levihan sickfic on my sneezehq tumblr, which allowed me to write a sort of sequel to my other fic Close Quarters. You don't have to have read the other fic to enjoy this one, though! This is set while they're staying in the safe house at the beginning of season three, with some ignoring of canon timelines, as is my wont. Enjoy!

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Growing up underground and then begrudgingly becoming a soldier, Levi has enough experiences with illnesses going around in close quarters to know that he'll inevitably catch it at some point. That knowledge doesn't make it any less irritating when he falls prey to the flu bug that the cadets have been passing around.

It starts with a sore throat and coughing fit at dinner time. All of the cadets cringe and apologize when he glares at them, hurrying to finish their dinner and flee from his sights. Hanji is completely unbothered by his bad mood. She actually seems to find it amusing, laughing to herself as he curses and grumbles.

How she's not sick is beyond him, since they've both been trapped in this damn cabin with a bunch of sick people for the past week, and she hasn't been nearly as careful as he has about avoiding germs. Still, he's reluctantly grateful that at least one of them is healthy. If someone found them out here while they were both sick it wouldn't end well.

He muffles another endless coughing spell into his elbow, ever-present scowl deepening. Hanji giggles. "I told you that all your efforts to avoid germs actually weaken your immune system, Levi. You should've listened."

To his utmost annoyance, she doesn't even flinch at the glower he sends her way. "I'm going to bed," he grits out, tone less harsh than he would like due to his sore throat.

"Good idea! They say that sleep is the best medicine-" She starts trying to offer more useless advice, but thankfully shuts up when he flips her off. "Get some rest. I'll keep watch."

Too tired to retort, he slams the door behind him, tugs off his boots, and collapses into bed. Sleep is upon him as soon as he shuts his eyes.

For once, he thankfully doesn't dream. Despite the lack of interruptions, he wakes up tired and sore; definitely worse than yesterday. It's not surprising, but still irritating.

Breakfast is a silent affair, with everyone sensing Levi's bad mood, or in Hanji's case, not awake enough to bother him. After morning chores are distributed and completed, Levi herds the cadets out of the cabin for some light drills. Nothing too strenuous, since they're all still recovering, but they need to stay in fighting shape somehow.

Hanji doesn't even offer to help supervise, waving them off vaguely and remaining engrossed in whatever research she's working on now. It better not be another "miracle cure."

The morning drags by, as Levi finds himself having to pause more frequently for coughing fits. They run through basic warmups and then Levi pairs them up for some sparring practice. He has a feeling that hand to hand combat skill is going to be crucial in the near future.

Hot sunlight beats down on their little practice clearing, slightly mitigated by the cool, crisp morning breeze. Levi finds himself too hot and too cold in turns, alternating between relishing the warmth of his cloak and resisting the temptation to rip it off. His head is stating to ache, but that's probably from what feels like several hours of listening to the cadets inane chatter.

It all comes to a head when Armin meekly requests his assistance in breaking up Eren and Jean. Those two are a little too enthusiastic about their fight training. He takes a step in their direction, clearing his throat in preparation to yell out a warning-when suddenly, he feels an overwhelming dizziness. Shutting his eyes against the spinning world, he ignores the sudden ringing in his ears and tries to steady himself.

"Captain?" Armin asks. He barely hears the blonde boy, making a vague gesture in response.

He forces his eyes open. Black spots appear in his vision and stubbornly refuse to clear when he blinks. Whatever. He doesn't have time for this. "Knock it off, you two!" he barks at Eren and Jean. His voice comes out more hoarse than stern.

Still, it seems to be enough to get their attention. Both boys spring apart and jump to their feet, turning to face him. Good. Smartest thing they've done all day. "I want both of you to-"

But whatever Levi wants from them is lost as his legs refuse to hold him, knees buckling under his weight as the ground rushes up to meet him. The group explodes with panicked exclamations that make his head throb, before everything mercifully fades away, and he's left in the quiet darkness.

The next time he opens his eyes, he's staring up at the dingy cabin ceiling, head pounding. He goes to sit up and groans at the resulting dizziness.

"Oh good, you're awake!" Hanji says. Before he can even ask, she's explaining. "You fainted in the middle of training. Eren and Jean carried you back here." She sounds faintly amused, but her usual cheerful grin is replaced with a worried frown.

"Damn plague rats," he croaks out, voice all but nonexistent at this point.

"Well I guess you won't be lecturing any of them today," Hanji chides, replacing the cool cloth on his forehead. He must have knocked it off when he went to sit up. "I've sent the cadets to do the evening chores. You should get some rest."

Sure enough, the light coming in through the windows is tinged with the dark red of late afternoon. Levi closes his eyes. As much as he hates to admit it, sleep sounds pretty good right now. But leaving Hanji unsupervised gives him some concern. "No more concoctions to try to cure me," he grumbles.

He hears Hanji shrug. "Your loss!"

The cabin is nice and quiet without the usual horde of chattering teenagers. It's easy to let himself fall into a sleepy doze. Let's see who's laughing when you catch this flu, Hanji.

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Thank you for reading! Please leave a review!


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